Pope's body could be moved to St Peter's on Wednesday, Vatican says
The Vatican said Monday that Pope Francis's body could be transferred to St Peter's Basilica Wednesday to lie in state.
"The transfer of the body of the Holy Father to the Vatican Basilica for the homage of all the faithful could take place on Wednesday morning," Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement, saying more information would come Tuesday.
A group of cardinals meeting on Tuesday are expected to take a formal decision on the issue, he added.
Separately, the canonisation of the first saint of the millennial generation, Carlo Acutis, has been suspended due to Francis' death, the Vatican said.
Acutis, an Italian boy who died from leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15, was originally set to be made a saint at a ceremony in St. Peter's Square on April 27.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni added that the ongoing Jubilee, or Catholic Holy Year, will continue as planned despite the passing of the pope.
Tourists and pilgrims who flocked to Rome for Holy Week were dazed with shock at news of the death of Francis, the morning after he had driven in his open-topped pope mobile through crowds cheering "viva il papa!" on Christianity's holiest day.
Father Bachai, a retired priest from the United States who had come to Rome for Holy Week, compared the pain of learning of the pope's sudden death to a bruise.
"He appeared in public yesterday, looked healthy. I was so shocked, and sad of course," he said.
Sue Rak, visiting Rome from Ghana with her husband and child, said she believed Francis "wanted to meet God".
"May he rest in peace. He has done well in the world," she said. "He wanted to protect the weak."
An atmosphere of mourning gradually filtered over the square as the news sank in with both tourists and Romans who had been enjoying a sun-drenched Easter Monday holiday. At noon, St Peter's bells tolled in mourning and a silence descended upon the crowd.
"We saw him here, he was just driven by in the car. It was shocking news this morning," said Letizia Bartocci, who works in a jewellery shop a short distance from the square.
"This is something that really hits you hard," said Emanuela Tinari, who is from Rome and was with her boyfriend Gianmarco Omiccioli. "He was a pope who brought so many people closer to the church."
Frank Lavis Tourneta, was visiting from the French island of Corsica, said he was moved to find himself in Rome on the day of the pope's death.
"Today I see a sign of the Christian religion that Pope Francis has died today and gone to heaven. I believe that it is a strong sign for the Christian faith today."
(Reuters and AFP)
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